Isolated
by Artist Cure
Summary: For two so-called geniuses, they've made an awful lot of mistakes. But one plane crash and they're on their own, stripped to basics. This is not a romance. This is a story of loneliness. This is a story of learning. This is a story of survival.
1. That Gypsy Woman Knew Nothing At All

**Author's Note**

**This is a fanfiction I'm writing for fun just to pass the time and because I had the story in my head. I never usually write fanfiction but I really wanted to write a Prodigy one as there just aren't many out there and I liked this story. Seto and Rebecca are two of my favourite characters. They have a LOT in common, yet also seem to come across as polar opposites. The story will be told from the perspectives of both Seto and Rebecca over alternating chapters. This gives me (and any readers I might have!) the opportunity to get inside both character's heads and also to cover more base. And because I think writing in first person is more fun than third!**

**The story in terms of personality and ages, language, setting etc is based on the Japanese because that's the canon for me. However, I'm a huge Eric Stuart fan. At least, his music anyway, so all chapter titles are lines from his songs. Some of them are hilariously apt.**

**Some of the story will be very dramatic (and terribly over the top). But it's really just for fun. Any comments at all are greatly appreciated! I love the reviews, they seriously make my day!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: <span>Well, That Gypsy Woman Knew Nothing At All<span>**

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><p>There's something extremely unsettling about planes when you don't own them. I can't be the only one who feels this way. Although logically speaking mass air-transportation is eminently practical, the construct from the viewpoint of the terminally unsociable – bordering on sociopathic, I'm not afraid to admit – is slightly… sickening. It's a sardine can filled with strangers you're forced to eat with, sleep near, converse with at times…and there's no escape.<p>

If I was the anxious type, I might struggle on planes. But I'm not.

As I make my way over to my seat, irritably dumping my briefcase on the floor in front of me, I brood over the fact that I allowed myself to be coerced into taking a commercial jet on such a weak argument.

I know better than anyone that Ishtar's predictions are seldom more than bullshit swathed in the sparkly cloth of her aureate words. I also know better than to get suckered into believing her. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for my gullible idiot of a brother. I used to have such hopes for him before he hit puberty and the blood supply became permanently rerouted away from his brain.

With a frustrated sigh, I pull my laptop out of my briefcase and set it on the shelf in front of me without switching it on, observing my fellow travellers. Mercifully the seat beside me is empty. However, the rest of business class doesn't quite hold the level of sophistication I had secretly crossed my fingers and hoped for.

"I thwear to GOD, Thamuel, if you think I'm eating your mother'th chicken fritatta ever again, you have got another thing coming I am not even kidding, mithter!"  
>"But Jimmy, baby! You know how happy it makes her!"<br>"Ah'm awful sorry again abaht your dreyess, sweetie pah. But that stuff does come aht, you know. Hell, ah've managed to get buckets of the stuff outta mah haiyer!"  
>"I told you, daddy, I don't WANT to go to Disneyland. I want to go to the WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!"<p>

I would have been fine flying to America privately. I do it quarterly without a hitch. A masochistic bastard am I to endure this just for the sake of placating a boy who is no longer a child, much as he may act like one.

Mokuba swears he had a premonition. One bad dream about the plane crashing and it freaks him out so he goes crying to Ishtar of all people for 'confirmation' – I swear the woman fabricated the whole thing just to see me suffer. She never liked me.

I close my eyes and try to block the others out, concentrating on the fact that at least I can use the twelve hours to get some extra work done on my way over; time I would otherwise have lost if flying there myself. Who said I can't find the silver lining in these things.

Hell, I might even start to see this as being positi-

"HELLO!"

… Oh, fuck, no.  
>Seriously.<p>

"Is this 12B? It is, isn't it?" The woman in front of me squints at her ticket then peers at the seat number and squeals with glee. Squeals. "Oh good, yes! Well well well, what do you know? Small world! Looks like you and me are sat together Kaiba! What do you make of that?"

"I really don't-"

"Although actually, do you mind moving? Only I really need to be sitting by the window. The lady at the desk didn't give me an option and I was like "excuse me?" but I was in kind of a hurry you know. It's just how I get on planes. It's like a water pistol of vomiting. I mean like a weapon. If I tried, I could aim it-"

And now she's gesturing. Horrified, I stand up and motion for her to get out of my way. She beams at me and slides past me into her seat. The physical contact takes me off guard and makes me feel very uncomfortable. Warily, I sink down into the seat beside her and watch as she moves my laptop over.

"Small world," I echo, not amused. She grins again and tosses her hair over her shoulder. Lighter than I remember it, and a little longer than it was last time I saw her.  
>"What are you doing here? I didn't know you were back in Japan."<p>

"Nobody did," she shrugged. "I figured it was best to… you know… keep a low profile…" I nodded. The events of three Decembers ago left a nasty taste in a lot of mouths.  
>I wasn't there but news travels. By all accounts, it was a hilarious spectacle. I'm almost disappointed I missed it.<p>

"Right."

"So Kaiba! How are you? Look at you slumming it with the common people!" She shrieks with laughter and all sympathy I may have had is forgotten. She deserved that slap she got. "How are you with plane etiquette? Do you chat? Do you not chat? It's quite an intimate travelling experience, don't you think?" she murmurs and touches my thigh. I quickly grab her wrist and remove it, giving her the coldest glare I can muster. "Just strapping you in," she said lightly.

"They provide you with headphones on planes. I think that goes some way to suggesting what most people do."

"Touchy."

"They're wonderful devices. They isolate the sound," I pick a pair up and pointedly put them on my head, just in time to hear the end of the pilot's obligatory speech.

"They make your hair look Beiber-esque."

I take them off.

"What do you want, Rebecca? Stop grinning, it's very annoying."

"Careful now, Mr Sunny. Don't want to blind the pilot."

"Still a child, I see."

"Still a miserable asshole, I see."

There's really no response to that. I turn away from her and look out the window on the other side of the plane as it climbs into the air.

"I'm not a child anyway. I turned eighteen not long ago and don't pretend you don't know," she smirks and smoothes her skirt over her thighs. My attention is diverted by the plane jolting around. That's a lot of turbulence for this early on in the flight. Damn commercial pilots can't fly for shit.

"You're right; I cried and burnt all my teddy bears in protest."

"Still as skeptical a bastard as ever." I manage a wry smile in response to this.

"If it ain't broke…"

"Aren't you broken, Kaiba?" She speaks without missing a beat.

"You have nerve, kid. You don't want to go there. It'll give you nightmares and you don't have any mass-produced, soulless, anthropomorphized creature to take your fears away."

All she does is grin and reach into her bag and there it is in all its… ugh, dungareed glory. I shake my head in resignation. There is officially no hope for her. And I heard somewhere that she was supposed to be some sort of prodigy.

"Isn't it time to let go?"

"Why does everybody keep saying that to me?" she shrugs. "Yuugi, Anzu, grandpa, the woman at the shoe store, now you," she raises her eyebrows in mock despair. I believe this is called self-deprecation; an unnecessary conversational device I'd never really understood.

I'm witty.

"Maybe if you took the hint every once in a while, you wouldn't have furious brides trying to pull your hair out and smash your face into cake."

"That never happened! It's a false rumour," she protests vehemently. I don't care, I'm already laughing.

"But she did slap you."

"I didn't know Anzu had such a powerful backhand," she rubs her face.

"You fucked up her wedding day."

"I don't want to talk about this with you."

She's riled up now. Well she wanted to start. I'm sure as hell not stopping now.

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, little girl." Her jaw becomes rigid. I'm a gentleman; I know when to take my victory and leave. Satisfied, I sit back, put my headphones on and switch on my laptop.

"…still speak to her?" Is she still talking? I ignore her. But Rebecca isn't having this. She grips my arm until I'm forced to face her.

"Anzu?"

She nods.

"Sometimes. Rarely. Obligation." Three words. That's all I can summon. Frankly I don't like talking about Anzu any more than Rebecca does, but if there's anyone she hates more than me, it's the blonde beside me looking like she might cry. "Any necessary correspondence is usually conducted through Jonouchi."

She nods again.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have started…" Apologies. Now this I can't handle. If I have to get emotionally involved less than twenty minutes into this torture, I might as well jump off the plane now and swim there.

"It's fine, Hopkins. For once in your life, let it go. Let's just get through this, shall we? It's a long flight, why don't you take a nap or something?"

"Hopkins, kid, little girl… Kaiba, it's been six years, you can use my first name."

"Go to sleep."

"Say it with me. Rebecca. Re-beck-ah."

"Goo-too-sleeeep."

She giggles and steals my blanket.

"Maybe I wi-"

She's cut off as the plane gives an almighty jolt. I'm thrown forwards and smack my nose on the chair in front of me. Shit, that hurts. I reach up to touch it and my hand comes away red.

"Jesus Christ," Rebecca shrieks and reaches out towards my face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, stop clawing at it!" We're still jolting around. I clutch the chair in front of me for support and hold my nose with the other. People in the plane are starting to get awfully noisy. Someone is shouting not to panic and to stay in our seats. "I'm going to see what this is about," I say and stand up.

As I do, I'm thrown forwards as the plane jolts again. More screaming. Again, I feel hands clawing at me, pulling at my belt and my shirt. I try to winch them off until I realize who they belong to. She's looking at me with pleading eyes and clearly talking but I can't hear a word she's saying over the racket.

"Let go, Hopkins, I'm going to talk to the pilot. I might be able to offer some assis-" Another huge shudder followed by a loud BANG cuts me off and startles the populace of the plane. There are flight attendants yelling at me to stay in my seat and the oxygen masks are starting to drop down. "I'm going to try and help!" I yell.

"Don't you leave me!" She isn't pleading. She's demanding. "Don't you dare! What if we crash?"

Crash.

_"I'm telling you, Seto. I'm sure of it... I can feel it in my heart like it's the most sure thing in the world. If you fly to America, you are going to crash. Big brother, if you care about me at all, you won't do it. You won't fly there yourself. I can't let you take the risk!"_

"Shit… Hopkins. Stay here. I have to go to the cockpit."

"NO!" She's clinging on like a god damn limpet. How can I make her understand without sounding hypocritical… or crazy. "You can't just walk off and leave me here! What do I do?"

I think fast. We're on a Minakami flight. Minakami have a security hatch that can be activated if the plane is at under ten thousand feet… it has a code and I might be able to hack it.

"Find a rope and a flotation ring and stand by the nearest emergency door. I'll come back to you, I promise."

Before she can say another word, I extricate myself from her and force my way through towards the cockpit.

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><p><strong><span>Author's (lol) Note<span>**

**There was a reference in here, and I don't mean the chapter title XD Who got it?**

**So there it is, the first full chapter. They'll probably get longer. **

**If anybody read that, thank you. I would seriously appreciate any and all comments on this, no matter how small they are! Just don't comment on any inaccuracies about the plane... My research was extensive but I learnt nothing. In the end I figured I'd make up my own rules.**


	2. At Ten O'Five I'll Cease To Be Alive

**Authors Note**

**I like onomatopoeia =) May I refer anyone who doesn't to Spike Milligan? Some of this might seem a bit... eh. But like someone said, invoking Twenty Minutes Into The Future is a very helpful trope XD I have no actual experiences with plane crashes. I researched them but in the end it was easier to improvise. Also I changed the title from 'To Survive' to 'Isolated' because it sounds less lame. I still don't like it though so I'm open to suggestions. This is the first Rebecca chapter. I have more experience writing as Rebecca as I've role played her for three or four years now. She's never perfectly IC but I do my best!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: <span>At Ten o'Five I'll Cease To Be Alive<span>**

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><p>And there he goes! He left me! The bastard left me, I can't believe it! I'm totally… dumbfounded.<p>

"AAAAAGH!" I scream as the plane jolts again… it almost feels as though we're descending. "Oooohhhhhhhhhhh…." I moan aloud, desperately trying not to look out the window. Despite the screaming staff who seem to by this time have given up on controlling the terrified passengers (I guess in a real emergency, professionalism is the first thing to go), I stagger slowly and blindly around the plane, searching for the requested supplies.

Ohhh gosh, can't think straight… Focus, Rebecca. Where will emergency supplies be?

Yes! I find them in the emergency cupboard. Who'd have thought, huh? The rope goes over my shoulder and I tuck the enormous ring under my arm. Holding onto them both and trying to stay upright is an effort. There must be half a mile of rope or something here. Is this for the whole plane? I stagger over to the door, gripping it for dear life as the plane's jolts threaten to throw me clean off my feet. This is really serious now. A glance out shows that we're still _climbing_ but … not at the rate we should be…

Why is the plane so turbulent? Something must have gone horribly wrong during take-off. And where the HELL is Kaiba? Maybe he's radioing ahead for help.

I look at the emergency door and see the hatch. A sheet of plastic covering what is undoubtedly a keypad. I thought these were code activated… Minakami flights are infamous for their poor security procedure but they're fast, they're quick and they've never had a major disaster before… Shit, what if the electrics go out?

I want to open it… but what if I get sucked out the moment the door opens? Sure I'll have the flotation ring but then what? We're already miles away from the Japanese coast. I'll be separated from Kaiba, and I really don't want to be on my own for this.

Desperately I look around for Kaiba. He'd better have some idea of what he's doing. Maybe he can recover the plane… if I yelled his name, there's no way he'd hear me. The noise in the plane is deafening. Kids are screaming, adults are screaming at them to calm down, some adults are screaming, and other adults are screaming at them to calm down… but that's not why the plane is so loud. The plane itself is definitely making a noise… Something seriously doesn't sound right.

There was a bang a little while ago. I wonder if something somewhere blew…

As I shift the weight of what I'm carrying, a horrible thought strikes me.

Teddy. I left Teddy behind! Oh my god… Horrified, I begin blundering my way back up the aisle again, tripping over the rope and cursing at it as I go. I need Teddy. I've had him since I was a baby. I've grown up with him! He keeps me safe. I can't leave him behind.

"OUCH!" A hand jabs into my side and I fall into a seat – an already occupied seat. A large woman glares at me from behind her oxygen mask and shoves me back again. People are cruel. I look to see who pushed me – "JERKASS!" - but he's already tearing off into economy class and I don't think he heard me.

Anyway. Focus, Rebecca. Teddy.

I'm almost there, I can see him! He's on the floor under a seat! I'm bending down to reach him…

"Hopkins!" A firm grasp squeezes my arm and starts steering me backwards.

"Let go! I can walk! I need-"

"We need to get off the plane."

"What's-"

"You don't want to know," he says, a grim expression on his face. "You have to trust me now, Hopkins. We don't have a choice."

"A choice…?" As if I don't know. It's in that very second I know. There's no radio help. The radios are down. The plane is going down. It's going to explode! Oh my god! The plane is going to plummet into the water and we need to have the hatch open in advance to swim out and escape! Then what do we do? Swim back to Japan?

Oh Jesus, I think I'm going to hyperventilate.

Kaiba doesn't even seem struck by the severity of the situation. He doesn't care that he's going to fall into the ocean, break his neck and have a graceful ocean burial when a burning plane lands on top of hm. He's calmly pulling the rope off my shoulders and tying it tightly around his waist. I stare at him, bewildered, wondering if he's going to go on a one way bungee.

"It won't bounce," I say stupidly.

"What?"

I don't answer. Suddenly I'm inspired. Before he can say a word, I dash back as quickly as I can and retrieve Teddy. Yes! On the way back to Kaiba, I take inspiration, undo my belt (which is thankfully loose on me) and belt Teddy in against me as tightly as I possibly can. He might get wet but he'll survive!

The plane jolts severely again and this time I'm thrown forward, almost biting my tongue off in the process. A high-pitched shriek escapes me as for a second I'm totally wrong-footed by gravity. Without realizing it, I seize a strong arm that seemed to extend out of nowhere. I grip on as everything in the plane begins to tilt the wrong way.

"We're descending," Kaiba declares, almost calmly as if this is a normal landing.

"No shit, Sherlock," I snap. We are descending. Our plane is _falling out of the sky!_ I'm about to die! But I'm eighteen! I haven't got my doctorate yet! I didn't get to say goodbye to my grandfather! I didn't get to make it right with Anzu! I never lost my virginity, got married or had kids! My life is going to end in a fiery explosion, in the middle of the ocean!

"I don't want to die!" I wail, echoing practically everyone else on the plane. "It's not fair! I have so much more potential than all the stupid people that get to live!"

"Shut up, Hopkins," Kaiba sighs, handing me the rest of the rope, "and tie this around you. Tightly. But leave some leeway so we can secure ourselves to the flotation ring."

"That's your plan?" I stare at him, horrified. "Base jump, freefall I don't even want to know how many feet into the ocean, break our necks on impact and get incinerated post-mortem by a burning plane?"

"Yes. Unless you have something better. Besides, the plane won't fall on top of us. At most a little debris-"

"I think I'd prefer to explode! It'll be much quicker!" I know I'm being hysterical but I feel sick with fear. It doesn't take a genius to work out that he's right. Jumping is definitely our better chance of survival.

Blinking, I realize that Kaiba has made the decision for me. He's already tied the rope around my waist and is busy attaching it to the ring, yelling at other people to do the same thing if they want to survive. Someof them are following suit. Others are steadfastly refusing to get out of their seats or take off their oxygen masks for a second… I wonder what will happen to them.

"Kaiba…" I begin.

"Open the door."

"What, now? Already? Are you crazy?" I'm so not ready!

"Now."

"We haven't descended enough yet! It's not a safe distance!" I scream in protest. We'll be as good as dead or severely injured as soon as we leave the plane! I can't think straight. All I know is I don't want to jump. But I don't want to stay.

"NOW, HOPKINS!" he bellows, eyes blazing. "If you don't open this door soon, the electrics will go and we won't be ABLE to open it. Will you stop standing around like part of the damn furniture and do something useful?"  
>I reach obediently for the door at that point only for him to shove me aside ad start attacking it himself! Mixed messages. It's then that I notice that several others are trying to get out… and we're already much nearer the ocean than I thought. There appears to be no authority left on the plane. Some of the staff are in <em>tears.<em>

Oh my god.

"Kaiba," I begin, my voice shaking, "what happened in the cockpit?"

No answer.

"Kaiba!" I repeat, louder this time. He doesn't even blink. I grab and dig my nails into his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!

"What happened in the cockpit?"

He stares right over my head.

"These people… they're not… why don't you people have BOUYANCY AIDS?" he yells to the plane at large. "WE ARE FALLING. INTO. AN OCEAN. YOU GODDAMN MORONS." Seeming almost exasperated, he turns back to the door, a desperate grimace on his face. I attempt to run to retrieve some more rings, hating myself for not having thought of more people sooner. I really don't know what's happening to me right now.

An abrupt tightening around my waist, pulling at my stomach, reminds me that I'm limited as to where I go. I'm yanked back again and slam into Kaiba… who is currently kneeling on the length of the rope. WHAM goes his face. Oops.

"Sorry!" I gasp over his mutinous curses. He's rubbing his already damaged nose which spurts out a new stream of blood with one hand, but still working on cracking the code with the other, apparently not having heard me at all.

"I forgot we were…" I begin meekly before backing off.

There's a sick, plunging feeling in my stomach. We're almost there and none of these people have;

"BOUYANCY AIDS! Please people, find the other rubber rings!" I'm screaming and gesturing to the one I'm currently tied to. This time, to my immense relief, more people seem to be paying attention and following my pointing finger. There are actually more people from other areas of the plane who have them than I thought. I sight and glance around relieved at the sight of people gathering around rings in groups and cramming around the doors. The plane drastically tilts again. I lean hard on Kaiba's shoulders as he crouches by the hatch to keep myself from falling. He's solid. There's suddenly a crazy rush as people really realize the emergency of the situation. People are struggling to grab the remaining buoyancy aids as the plane tilts – That one guy just punched that other guy! There's a blonde woman holding onto one of them, a tall Israeli man, sobbing. Supplies are being thrown out of reach.

Food. I see food! We'll need that! The cart is steaming towards me down the aisle but if I brace myself, I might be able to stop it. I brace myself in front of it when I'm suddenly yanked back again. Jesus, that hurts!

"Don't be stupid, you'll get run over. If you get dragged back there, so do I."

"But we need food! Kaiba, don't you think we should share the ring?"

He hesitates for a split second and glances around. There are staff at the other emergency hatches now. "Isn't there a master door release or something?" I ask.

"There was. Look, we need to know we can keep this thing afloat. We need to know we-"

An ear-splitting scream sounds to my left. I turn and see a little girl with braids sobbing in anguish. For a sickening second, I think she's lost her mother, but it soon becomes clear what's wrong.

I can see her doll! It's there! Under the chair. Oh, the poor darling! "HEY! It-"

WHOOOOOOOOSH.

I don't even have time to scream. The ground disappears. I don't even feel the pull. Before my thoughts can catch up with my body, I'm falling.

Your doll is stuck behind the chair! Her hand is caught on the metal! You're only a couple of feet away!

There are hands on my upper arms. I'm being squeezes so tightly my arms feel like they'll explode… my head… I can't breathe… I hardly even…

Oh god, the WATER!

I contort my body as quick as I can! I have to twist into a diving position, point my hands to break the water and squeeze my eyes shut.

One of the hands leaves me.

SPLASH.

We plunge into the water. The second we hit it, I feel I lose all control over my body. I'm not panicking, in fact I'm eerily calm… but for a few seconds, I can't… I can't move at all. But I'm sinking… my nose and mouth are filling with water, and I feel like I have to be sick RIGHT now! I glance Kaiba under the water and snap back into action. I grab a hold of the rope around my waist and follow it to the surface where it's connected to the ring… and somewhere, Kaiba.

The scene looks like something out of Titanic, only mercifully, with significantly fewer people. People are screaming, kicking each other and calling out names. Suddenly the sickness overwhelms me. I vomit violently into to water in front of my, grasping at the ring for support. That doesn't stop my bobbing under, choking down more water only to vomit some of it up again. Eugh… out my nose…

"Kaiba," I croak weakly. "Kaiba!"

"Right here," comes a hollow voice from the other side of the ring. "Get out of the water, kid. It's cold." He demonstrates by pulling himself out, and onto the ring.

The plane is still descending. It will land in the water any minute now… There should definitely be more people in this water….

An undignified sob forces its way out. I don't know how I feel, just very sick and with a head that's spinning like I've been on the teacups for an hour. I want to cry for a long time, in my bed, nice and safe and think that Anzu talking smack about me to Yuugi is still the worst thing in the world.

I make weak efforts to pull myself onto the ring, but strong arms on mine do most of the pulling. As I perch on the edge of it with my legs resting on the other side, I begin to violently shiver as the temperature hits. My teeth are chattering so much, it's painful.

"You have your breakfast all over you," Kaiba observes drily.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I roar. "Aren't you scared?"

He stares blankly at me,

I want to hit him.

"Watch the rope," he demands, and dives back into the water, disappearing under. Woah… I don't like this? Where is he? I don't like being left on my own! I'm about to reach out and yank him back when I feel hands on shoulders, yanking me backwards at full force into the water.

"What the hell?" I protest incredulously when I've bobbed back up again… then I see it.

Cursing, we both take deep breaths as the enormous shadow of the plane descends over the water a very short distance away. Hurriedly, we duck under, gripping the ring, despite being tied to it.

My heart is beating so fast, I think it might explode. Holding my breath doesn't help the situation! The water is cold but my whole body suddenly feels like it's on fire.

The plane hits the water ahead of us.

The whole ocean shifts. The impact of the plane hitting sends a ripple through the water. The second it does, a huge wave sends us rushing back. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold on as if my life depends on it.

Above the surface, I see orange flickering glows…. Fire….

Debris starts hitting the water, breaking through the surface near us… luggage, a trolley, a toilet paper roll…

My lungs hurt so much, I have to breath NOW!

Desperately, I force myself up into the air, gratefully gulping down lungfuls, gasping as I choke on it going down.

Kaiba emerges from the water a few seconds later, a little out of breath himself.

"Don't stay up here too long, kid," he nods to the smoking wreck of the plane, bobbing just a short distance away.

"I can't breathe!" I cry.

"Trust me. It's the lesser of two evils. Listen. Hopkins? Hopkins!" He grabs my shoulder to get my attention,. But I'm really too busy hyperventilating to listen. "Hopkins, watch the rope. Make sure it stays tight and do not let anyone cut it," he breaks off and I see what he means. People are desperately swimming towards us. I cower back….

"Where are you go-"

But he's already ducked back under. I brace myself and follow suit. He's ahead of me, swimming towards the carnage. What is he doing? Looking for his laptop? I can't see his face but I see his jaw is set. He has a goal, for sure. Maybe he's thought of a way to save people!

As the rope reaches its limit, I feel myself and the ring get tugged a little way back towards the plane. Kaiba evidently feels this too, as he glances back.

I stop focusing on him and rush back up to the surface for air. All this people could die. I look around desperately, wanting to be able to do something! Anything! But realistically I know there's nothing. The tears begin again. The situation seems so bleak. What's going to happen to us? I climb back onto the ring, slipping off once to twice in the process, choking on desperate, pathetic sobs. When I eventually heave myself on, I bury my head in my hands. I can't watch.

The ring would only hold a couple more people, I know this. And how could I choose who lives and who dies? It's horrible but the easier thing to do is to not look and hate myself forever.

"Hopkins!" I look up. He's holding a large … piece of wood… I squint at him, suddenly realizing that my glasses are gone (a brief pat reassures me that Teddy is safe. Sodden, but safe.). He appears to be holding a cupboard door and two sheets of plastic. I blink. Paddles?

Another wave of nausea hits me and my eyes are seriously streaming now. I'm pretty sure it's the smoke. It's heading thick and fast north north east… read: in this direction. I take another huge breath and duck under once more. It's a relief to see people's faces disappear…

Kaiba's back. Only instead of ducking under, his legs disappear from view, and next thing I know, he's on the ring. I break through the water again and watch with horror as he unties himself.

"You can't do that!" I shriek. "What if you fall?"

"I won't fall. Get back under, Hopkins. It'll thin out but you want to miss the worst of it." He slides off, resting the cupboard door on the top of the ring and securing it with the rope. "Just don't go under here or you'll be trapped."

"Yeah, thanks for the lesson in basic logic," I snap.

"All you've done is panic and cry." I stare at him and he stares back. I know what he's thinking. He doesn't understand.

"You're not human!"

He doesn't answer. The smoke does appear to have died down now as most of the plane has gone underwater. I can't quite comprehend how fast it all happened.

"Get on," he pats the door on the ring. It's more of a little raft now. I do as I'm told. Again.

"Why didn't Jack think of this, huh?" I smile wryly, attempting humour.

"Jack who?"

"Dawson."

Blank face.

"Titanic…?"

"Oh."

And he falls silent. Great.

Now what?

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**I gave this one a cursory proof read for spelling mistakes but this was one of the chapters I really just wanted to get through as I'm so useless with plane crashes. After this chapter, well that's what I'm looking forward to! Seto returns as narrator in Chapter 3. Tune in next time, folks! I update on Sundays.**

**Comments please? ^^**


	3. I've Left You Shipwrecked and Stranded

**Author's Note**

**Seto's back! Not that he left, but we're back into his narrative. Writing as Seto is a lot of fun as he keeps a lot of his snarky thoughts to himself - as pointed out by Yukai no Yuugi and used beautifully by Ariadne Bassarid. Updating a little early this week as I had a change in circumstances. Wrote this chapter all in one night so I'm not sure how well it will flow. This chapter and the one after I've had in my head for a while though. Thank you to the handful of people giving me reviews. You all really make my day, you have no idea *huggles reviewers* I love the song this chapter title comes from. It's called _One Good Reason _and is from his _Blue, Dressed in Black _album. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: <span>You Say I've Left You Shipwrecked and Stranded<span>**

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><p>"We're going to die, aren't we."<p>

It was a statement, not a question. I don't answer her. Trying to get build some speed with the planks I retrieved is taking up most of my effort. Trying not to beat the whiny brat with them is taking up the rest.

"This is how it ends! Two of the brightest minds of our generation! There's no justice in it, is there?"

That was a question. I still don't answer her. Brightest minds, my ass. She's supposed to be some sort of prodigy; that is, after all, why I hired her to second my office in America. But all she's done since the plain started going down has been scream, cry and complain. It's not like her. She's been in emergency situations before and managed to hold her own, even be helpful at times. I don't understand why she's fallen to pieces on this one.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I'm being unreasonable, and if I'm completely honest with myself I know I'm not particularly confident about our chances either.

It is a very bleak situation. But as it stands, my arms are tired, I've had half a dozen coffees today and her voice is starting to make my ears bleed.

Besides, she hasn't even tried. I despise people who surrender easily.

"What are we going to do? It's not like we can even send up a smoke signal! We must have been floating for, what, an hour now?" Really. That long. "I can't even see anybody else from the plane anymore! There were hundreds!"

"Probably drowned."

I'm looking straight over her shoulder but in my peripheral vision, I can see her staring at me in horror. I shrug.

"How can you be so callous?" How can you still be talking? I shrug again. I'd do something else to express my sentiments but my hands are otherwise occupied. "Well what if you're right? Maybe they are! People are dead. And we're next!"

"Hopkins-"

"Rebecca."

I grit my teeth.

"You only call me Hopkins when you're pissed off. You were calling me Rebecca when you first got on the plane." Work that one out, genius. She pauses a second and sighs, evidently having used all of her brainpower to come to the sensible conclusion. "Alright. Listen, I don't want you to be mad at me. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be annoying-"

"We all know if comes naturally to you."

"Ignoring that. But I'm scared, Kaiba. You know how real this is? Why won't you tell me what happened in the cockpit? It must have been terrible, right? Could you radio ahead?" I shake my head. "Thought so… I just… can't believe it could be over."

"We hadn't been in the air that long. We can't be too far from the coast, or any other island. We're not going to die, we're going to find shore in the next few hours."

"You're sure about that?"

"I am."

She falls silent for a little while. Finally.

I take the opportunity to think. We're further from the coast than I'd have her believe as the plane was travelling at a much greater speed than it should have been. The pilot had a death wish. Radios had been cut off, evidently so he didn't have to listen to commands from below. When I reached the cockpit he was clearly intoxicated and holding a gun. The loud bang we heard must have been the sound of him shooting the co-pilot, who was slumped lifelessly the pilot's lap.

There was nothing I could do at that point. The plane was going to crash and all I could think of was getting out alive. Mokuba would be left alone otherwise, forever knowing he was right and forever blaming me for ignoring him.

But how did he know? How could he possibly have known? If there is a God, he's finally throwing me some sort of lifeline by warning him. But then, is this the closest to a break I'm ever going to catch? Sure, the plane goes down anyway but at least I don't die straight away. Wonderful. Thanks, God. And stick me with the whiny blonde brat, why don't you. Someone's got a real sick sense of humour.

She's looking forlorn, as well she should. We may well die out here.

I stop rowing.

"You tired?"

"A little. Sure was nice of you to help."

"What, I'm a lady. Hey, don't raise your eyebrows, you just grabbed them and started rowing!"

"Grabbed my eyebrows?" I raise them again. She giggles.

"The planks."

"You could have offered!"

"I wouldn't have thought if I'd offered to help, you would have accepted it! And if you wanted me to help, you would have demanded it!"

She's probably right. Brat. I say nothing in response and look away. Why she apparently finds this funny is beyond me.

Still, her laughter is a nice break from the whining.

But then she falls silent and the familiar distraught frown contorts her features once again.

"What is it now?"

She chews her lip and fiddles with her sodden teddy bear before she answers.

"Yuugi finds me annoying too."

"Hopkins, everyone you know finds you annoying."

I said it without thinking. It's my default to insult when the opportunity is handed to me, particularly when the person in question has been driving me crazy for the last hour. But immediately after the words are out of my mouth, I realize how insensitive they were.

"He hates me too, you know," I offer.

"So what?" Her voice has cracked. Oh good, we're back to tears. "You never liked him! Or Anzu. This is a relief to you! It means they don't want you in their lives anymore. I love Yuugi and these people were my friends!"

"You only have yourself to blame," I blurt out again. One of these days I know I'll have to get the hang of tact. "Alright… We both did bad things. The difference is I did what I did to teach Anzu a lesson. It was spite and I'm not afraid to admit that. You did what you did because you loved Yuugi and didn't want to see him hurt."

"It's kind of your fault," she nods. "If you hadn't done what you did to Anzu-"

"Unrelated."

"Hardly!"

"That was done and out the way by the time you arrived. I wasn't even at the wedding."

"I've tried to apologise to her…" A derisive snort escapes me.

"I haven't."

"We almost wrecked her life between us! You know what she said to me? She said it was hardly any surprise I worked for KaibaCorp now and suspected that the two of us were in it together the whole time! She said we deserve each other."

"Imagine that."  
>She goes silent again. I let the conversation circle around in my head a little. Something doesn't quite add up. A smirk plays on my face as I digest the conclusion I've just drawn.<p>

"Except… you're not really sorry, are you?"

"Huh? Of course I am! I did a horrible thing!" Ah, but this time, kid, I can see that you're lying. You can't hide from me, Rebecca, it's just the two of us here. Her eyes are too wide, her mouth seems strangely stiff and her fingers are loose in her lap. When Rebecca _means_ what she's saying, her hands are all over the place. She once hit me in the face during a pitch of hers.

"No you're not. You're just upset you made Yuugi hate you! You're only sorry it didn't work!" I laugh triumphantly. She lets me have my moment before responding.

"Alright, fine. Yes."

"It's more fun when you argue."

"No point, you already know you're right."

I incline my head regally. She rolls her eyes. I hate it when she does that. But there's a faint, wry smile on her lips. I sense it's confession time.

"I care for Yuugi more than I'll ever care for Anzu. Hardly the surprise of the century. I am sorry it didn't work because it means everyone involved is miserable." I raise my hand.

"Not me. I was a little involved and I think it's hilarious."

"Everyone important who was involved is miserable. I just managed to fuck up several lives... But if I'd succeeded, I only would have fucked up one: Anzu's."

"Would you honestly have cared?" She's smirking at me and giving me a look. I know what that means. "Don't answer that."

"Come on now, Kaiba, it's your turn. Would she have been ok? Would you have stayed with her if she hadn't married Yuugi?"

"No." I answer while she's still speaking. I already knew the question and I've always known the answer.

"Why not?"

"Because I hate her. Being on my own is infinitely preferable and that's the way I intend to stay. Besides, she always loved Yuugi. I'm not sure why she went along with it as long as she did… Maybe Yuugi's terrible in bed," I smirk, contemplating this.

"No way!" the tone of her indignant squawk makes me laugh out loud.

"How would you know? Maybe it's proportionate," I laugh and raise my eyebrows. "Maybe that's what his hair is all about. Everything else about him is tiny."

"Really?" She hits the door with her fists as she climbs onto her knees to match my height. I don't point out her damp, pink skirt is practically round her waist. "The Asian computer nerd with the large buildings, smart cars and flashy everything wants to talk about stereotypes and compensation?" She shrieks, obviously fuming on her poorly endowed almost-lover's behalf. I laugh again.

"I'm full of surprises."

"You're messed up."

"Everyone else figured that out years ago, Rebecca. Keep up. Anyway, enough of that. You're a child; it feels weird discussing this with you." I pick up the planks again and resume rowing, waiting for the obligatory "I'm a grown-up girl, I choose my own Hello Kitty underwear and everything thank you very much!" speech. It doesn't come. I know what she's waiting for... I sigh in resignation, realising I have to answer her. "I told you, I did it to teach her a lesson. I had to prove a point."

"Prove what? That you're straight? That you can have whatever Yuugi has?" I shake my head. Both are very small – childish - parts of it, but neither are close to the main reason I seduced Anzu.

"I regret it. Mokuba was disappointed… I'm not discussing this with you further."

Rebecca, to my relief, nods and says nothing. I had forgotten how involved she was when Mokuba found out. He fled to America without telling me and sought out the Hopkins residence, evidently telling her everything he knew. I assume this is when she began forming her master plan to break up Anzu and Yuugi as now she had real ammo; an affair. My little brother found it all hard to accept. Mokuba was disappointed I used Anzu the way I did and disappointed in what I did to Yuugi but most of all he was hurt I kept it from him. It took three years for him to forgive me. We don't talk about it.

"He loves you though," Rebecca offers after a little while. I look up at her. She's looking back at me, a gentle sincerity in her eyes. "You could have killed her and he probably still would have forgiven you eventually." My spirits lift a little as this is probably true… but promptly drop as it the realization abruptly returns that I might never see him again.

I promised him I'd never leave him. It's been a difficult promise to keep over the years but I've managed it up until now. Automatically I reach up to touch my locket. The picture of young Mokuba will always stay in there but on the opposite side now is a new one; a recent one. Graduation.

He's nineteen now, an adult in his own right. I've always seen myself as sold, independent, and in need of nobody. But the thought that Mokuba might not need me anymore is a painful one, and one that occurs far too frequently these days. Graduation was almost impossible for me to get through, realizing that my work is done and he's grown up now. But sometimes he'll say something that will remind me we'll always need each other.  
><em>Big brother, if you care about me at all, you won't do it. You won't fly there yourself. I can't let you take the risk!<em>

But I did… I flew out here anyway, just not the way I wanted to. And now I'll be breaking my promise to him, leaving him alone and unprepared for the mess I've left behind.

I can't think anymore. I need something else to focus on. I put my all into rowing, hoping to physically exhaust myself, as well as make some progress, wondering why it's still me doing all the work.

"Rebecca."

"Hm?"

"What would you estimate is the temperature of this water?"

"Hmmm..." she trails her hand in, looking quite the lady of leisure. Great, you enjoy your free ride. Don't mind me. "Given the time of year, the rough time of day and approximate distance from the Japanese coast, I would guess…"

I stop listening, suddenly feeling veeery uncomfortable. This isn't good.

"… but it's not unpleasant! Do you think this water would be safe to drink? I'm really thirsty."

I'm not. I had half a dozen cups of coffee this morning; a fact I'm suddenly very aware of. I brought this on myself.

"Saltwater will dehydrate you."

"Right. You'll need to pee more than you can drink."

"Yes," great, now it's all I can think about.

"Water water every where, nor any drop to drink…Are you alright?" she's frowning at me. "You look really…" she fidgets and wrinkles her nose. "Reallyyyyyyyy…. What's the wooooord?" I never noticed how she _draws sounds out_ like that before. Is she doing it on purpose? "Squirmy. Like someone's giving you a wet willy or something."

Oh, come _on.  
><em>

"I'm fine," I manage through gritted teeth.

"Touchy," she raises her eyebrows. "I was just seeing how you were. Oh! Poor Teddy's still all wet! Look!" She picks up the damn thing and wrings it. We both watch the water seeping out and splatter into the ocean. The sloshing noise the water makes when I row suddenly got a lot louder.

Unfair.

I immediately stop rowing and stare at Rebecca.

"Does the door feel loose to you?"

"What, this door?" She knocks on the cupboard fastened to the ring.

"No, the wardrobe door that leads to Narnia."

"No, it doesn't feel loose," she rolls her eyes again. I hate that. "You secured it as tightly as you could. Feels solid," she nods in approval.

"It definitely feels off to me," I say determinedly. "I'm going to go under and check the ropes."

My legs are in the water when she grabs my shoulder and stops the rest of me sliding in. Jesus Christ, woman.

"You can't do that! You'll get wet! What if it turns into hypothermia? If we're not far away from the coast, I don't want you to get sick while we're out here! Who will row?"

You hate me, don't you. "You've only just dried off! Come back on."

"Better safe than sorry," I say firmly and slip from under her fingers into the water. Before she can argue any more, I dive under so she can't see me. At the same time, I fiddle with the ropes so she'll feel some sort of movement.

_Relief._

Hm. That could have been embarrassing.

What was I thinking? Six coffees before getting on a commercial jet. I hate public restrooms.

For appearances sake, I retie one of the ropes before sliding – drenched – back onto the door-on-a-ring. Rebecca squeals in protest and moves as far away from me as she can on the very tiny space.

"Ew, Kaiba! I told you not to go back in the water! I was almost dry and now you're dripping all over me!"

Could have been worse.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**Childish humour? Perhaps. Something about Seto being human. It was important to me to get some comedy into this story. The situation is so dramatic, I don't want it to be too dull. Plus the interaction between these two is so fun to write ^^**


	4. Felt the Heavy Weight of Impending Doom

**Author's Note**

**No comments at all on chapter 3 *sniffle* Sad face. Ah well, I'm writing this more for me anyway XD This chapter has been sitting on my computer all week, and I forgot about it. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: <span>Felt The Heavy Weight Of Impending Doom<span>**

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><p>Six <em>hours. <em>We've been in the water for six hours now! I don't even know how that's possible!

We _definitely_ weren't that far away from the coast! When I really consider all elements, I'm certain he's been rowing us in the wrong direction all this time. But it's not worth it to say anything; he might beat me to death with the paddle and eat me for survival.

The good part is it's not as cold as I thought it would be and we're all dried off now. My beautiful cream See by Chloé bow-embellished leather ankle boots will never be the same again though. I bought these for myself as a treat only two weeks ago and they cost me_ a thousand dollars_ as I had them specially imported. Mournfully, I poke at the soft material and watch water seep out of the lining. I'll have to import another pair now.

I have a weakness for expensive pretty things. What can I say? I'm good at what I do and Kaiba pays me the big bucks.

I sigh and pluck despondently at the rest of my ruined outfit. My dark blue denim skirt has become crunchy and gross and my once soft sky blue sweater is now slimy and shrinking. It's uncomfortably tight around my chest… and my chest isn't the biggest in the world. I could loosen it up a little but I'm damned if I'm taking off my Wonderbra, Kaiba will laugh his ass off.

I stretch my back and groan loudly. He doesn't look over at me, just carries on staring straight ahead. Neither of us has spoken in the last half hour.

I don't get it. We almost had fun earlier! I was hungry and neither of us had a morsel of food. Kaiba kept claiming he saw a fish and made me reach into the water to grab it each time. I knew he was just doing it to wind me up but it was funny. Then we _both_ thought we saw a fish, and there was an incident with a stick and some salt in the eye and it really lightened to mood!

But that was two hours ago according to my Minnie Mouse wristwatch, which incredibly still works. And he's barely said a word since.

"The sun will be setting soon," I observe.

"Not for another three or four hours in this part of the world." Know-it-all.

"It'll be cold."

"Yes it will."

And we're back into silence. Huh. Any efforts I make for conversation just fall flat. I get the feeling he doesn't want to talk but there's nothing else to do and it's just the two of us here. On the other hand, I really don't want to get on his nerves. It's a dangerous enough thing to get on the wrong side of Kaiba when he can be _caught_ killing you. In the sea, no one can hear you scream. Hmm… I'd better leave it a while before speaking to him again.  
>I count down two minutes in my head, but not the normal way. I spell out each number in my head as I count down the seconds to make it last longer. O-N-E-H-U-N-D-R-E-D-N-I-N-E-T-E-E-N… O-N-E-H-U-N-D-R-E-D-E-I-G-H-T… It's an odd little ritual but it's something I've been doing since my therapist suggested it. S-I-X-T-Y-S-I-X… F-I-V-E, F-O-U-R, T-H-R-E-E, T-W-O, O-N-E, Z-E-R-O. Ok, now I can talk again.<p>

"How's your nose?"

His nostrils twitch.

"It's fine."

"It looks really sore. Can I look at it?" I reach out to touch his face but he flinches away, causing the ring to bob a little bit. Jeez, he's so twitchy around people all the time.

I bet he's a virgin. With that last thought, I smirk to myself a little without realising it. Most men see sexual conquests as a symbol of not only their own masculinity but others' too. At least, that's what Otogi told me. Kaiba, on the other hand…

"I'm glad you find it _funny_," he hisses. "For your information, Hopkins, none of this is funny. Don't you realize how long we've been out here now?"

"Of course I do!" I snap. "What are you telling me this for? I knew this would happen! I knew we'd end up in trouble but you insisted! Maybe if you had the faintest idea what direction Japan was in, we'd be _back_ by now!" I angrily smack at one of the paddles in his hand. We both watch as it goes flying out into the ocean. Huh, pretty good shot for me.

Kaiba slowly turns his head from the floating paddle to me. There's menace in his eyes. In fact, he kind of looks like he'd like to do the same to me.

"Way to go, genius," he growls. "Go get it."

"No way! I'm not getting it! What if I get washed away?"

"Nobody's loss but your own," he spits, nastily. Ouch. "We need that, now go get it."

I give him the foulest glare I can muster, and he glares right back. Midnight blue boring into aquamarine.

"We're wasting precious time." He's taunting me. I don't want to back down, mostly because I'm terrified to go into the water alone. All the rope has been used to tie the door to the ring, and there's nothing much left to secure us to it. But it's my fault it's gone. We need it to steer. But then again…

"What does it matter, really?" I groan. "We both know we're going to die out here anyway, so what's the point?"

"If you go and get it, it might speed up the process for you. Best case scenario, I get the paddle back."

"You are such an asshole." I feel like crying. It's all so bleak, I'm already starving and desperate for a drink and he keeps _picking_ on me! "I give up. We're dead. For a little while I had hope but it's been so long now, we're definitely dead and it's all your fault. And I'm so tired! And hungry! And thirsty!"

For a moment Kaiba stares at me, eyes wide in exasperation. "Do you ever stop whining?" But after a pause, he sighs heavily and rests the remaining paddle over his lap. He rubs his face hard and runs his fingers through his hair. These are actions I'm familiar with, but don't see too often. "It's not looking good, I must admit."

"Stop rowing now."

"I have."

"I mean _stop_." I nod at the paddle and take it off him in case he's tempted to start again to distract himself. "Time to rest."

"Don't say it like that! There you go again with the morbid negativity." But he doesn't fight.

"Alright, time to take a break. Let's relax a little bit and refocus. Focus, Rebecca. It's not that bad…" I shift positions and lay on my back across the door, my feet just touching the water. I'm past caring about my boots now. They're already ruined. Ew, I hope I don't get trenchfoot. Maybe I should take them off… no, the cost me a thousand dollars. My head is a couple of inches from Kaiba's hips and from the look on his face, this makes him very uncomfortable. "Lay with me."

He hesitates.

"Come on! No need to be shy. It's just us now, and god knows I know your secrets," I chuckle to myself and stare up at the sky. It's very beautiful… so blue and completely endless! It's clear too so when night falls, we'll be able to see the stars! There's something quite peaceful about being here, totally isolated. I can barely contemplate how far away civilisation must be.

"I feel like I should be naked," I murmur dreamily aloud.

Kaiba freezes, while mid re-adjusting himself to lie beside me.

"What."

"You know! It's natural out here! Totally natural. Just us at peace with the sea. This area must be untouched by man before! I feel like my synthetic designer clothes are meaningless."

"You'd be cold," he mutters and lies down beside me anyway. His head and shoulders are level with mine, which means – at six inches taller than me - his feet must be getting soaked.

We're silent again for a while but this time I don't mind. It's much more relaxed, like I hoped it would be. I know I'm going to die and oddly I feel ok with it. I wonder if people will miss me…

"Not all of them," Kaiba says, almost to himself.

"Well, obviously Anzu won't. Yuugi… maybe, I mean I don't-"

"What are you talking about, Rebecca?"

"What?" Oh. _Oh_. "Sorry… I was thinking in my head." Sea air is making me an idiot. I don't have to look at him to know he's furrowing his brow and thinking I'm a weirdo.

"What were you saying?"

"You don't know my secrets. Not all of them."

Obviously; I was kidding. I daren't say a word though. He's obviously going somewhere with this and I want to hear it; partially because I think he needs to get whatever it is off his chest but mainly because I'm super curious.

"Rebecca," he begins, sounding very stilted and awkward. "Do you think we'll go to the afterlife with Atem?" He turns his head towards me, eyebrows slightly raised in question. It's a strange question, and one I'd wondered about too over the years he's been gone. We'd seen him go but he returned to the afterlife his loved ones went to. An afterlife from thousands of years ago.

Does the afterlife have a past, present and a future? Surely it can't, or a child who lives to be a hundred couldn't possibly be reunited with her mother who died when she was six, like her grandfather promised her she would. Too much time would have passed. Surely in the afterlife, you simply return to the people you lost who you loved and who loved you in the place that means the most to you. If those are different places, maybe you simply perceive the environment differently. Or maybe you go back to a heavenly reconstruction of a mutual location you were happy together.

It's such an abstract concept, I couldn't possibly understand without experiencing it. Well, not long now, I guess.

"I don't know. Maybe. It would be wonderful to see him again. But then maybe he belongs in his afterlife with his people and we'll have our own. We can wait for my grandfather and your brother … and hopefully Yuugi will die before Anzu does."

"When Anzu finds out the rest of the story, she'll kill him anyway," he chuckles. "And what do you mean _our own_? You think I'm going to be stuck with you for all eternity? I said afterlife, not hell."

"You didn't specify," I say lightly, laughing it off, but inside a little offended. "I've been here for you, Kaiba. I don't know you all that well but I've been here for four years now."

"You're a very valued worker. You make an excellent VP of KCUSA. I don't hand that mind of praise out too often, either."

"Thank you," I sigh, "but you know that's not what I mean."

"You've been there for Mokuba, and for that I thank you. You've been a good friend to him, Rebecca."

"Haven't I been a good friend to you?"

"Rebecca, I respect you as a duelist and an employee, but you know I don't have friends. You happen to have a presence in my personal life due to your friendship with my brother. That's it."

"I picked up the pieces after you and Anzu were discovered. Remember what you were like?" I'm probing him as gently as I can but I don't particularly know what I'm aiming for.

"Don't kid yourself you did that for me. You were thinking of Yuugi and you know it. You wanted to get the full story so you could use it against her."

"Hey, I _was_ worried about you!" I prop myself up on one elbow and look down at him. "You were drinking! Like crazy! The asshole boss we knew and loved was disappearing before our eyes, dissolving into this weird emo aimless loser. Staff were taking bets on how long it would be until you wore your hair like this," I pull my bangs over one eye, "and start smoking weed while listening to Bob Marley and Linkin Park mashups to block out the pain."

He smiles wryly and looks up into the sky.

"You have a ridiculous imagination. Don't exaggerate, it wasn't that bad."

"You did drink a lot though."

"What do you want me to say, Rebecca? That you're my BFFL? That we should 'totally, like, go to Kurt Gieger when this is all over.'" The impression catches me by surprise. It's mocking, in perfect English, imitates my accent to a T and so camp-sounding I laugh out loud.

"Where did that come from? That's cruel. You make me sound like a total airhead!"

"Surely not," he smirks.

"You're incredibly relaxed. Almost light-hearted," I observe in surprise.

"Must be the sea air getting to my head. That or the lack of water," his eyebrows twitch at the irony of the statement. You have to watch those eyebrows to read Kaiba, they're the most expressive part of his face. I don't think he has full control over them.

"Kaiba?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you're here." There go the eyebrows again. "I mean, I'd hate to go through something like this alone. It makes it a little easier knowing we're going 's scary, but I can kind of accept it."

He sighs heavily and clasps his hands over his stomach, still staring skyward. Long shirt, as usual. His face and his hands are the only skin he ever exposes.

"We don't appear to have much of a choice. As much as it kills me to admit it, this is beyond our control. Perhaps it would have been kinder to stay on the plane."

"No time to prepare," I shrug.

"And this is? Do you know what I'm leaving behind? Mokuba is going to be all alone. I promised him…" He trails off. I close my eyes in sympathy.

"That poor boy. His only family in the world gone forever."

Kaiba stiffens.

I turn my head towards him.

"Rebecca, I'm going to tell you something I've never told another living soul. It's a secret I've carried with me for over fifteen years. I thought I did it for the right reasons. I was protecting my little brother, protecting his heart. I knew how he'd feel if I told him the truth so I lied. But sometimes I can't help wondering if I did the right thing. I've taken away a part of his identity, his origins…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I lied about our parents' deaths."

"They're not _dead_?" I shoot bolt upright, severely rocking the makeshift boat in the process and almost falling off. Limbs flailing, I shriek and grab onto the nearest thing available; Kaiba's shirt.

He painfully grabs my upper arms, jaw set and mouth in a rigid line, and returns me silently to my former position. Calmly he lies down beside me again.

"No, Rebecca, they're not dead," he sighs. "At eight years old, I checked Mokuba and myself into an orphanage because I was bored one afternoon and nobody ever bothered to look for us again."

"No need for sarcasm, that's how you made it sound," I mutter, feeling stupid.

"I apologise, I assumed you had some common sense. Allow me to amend my statement: I lied about the circumstances surrounding our parents' deaths."

"To protect Mokuba's feelings?" He nods.

"Yes. Looking back now, I was being overprotective…"

I frown and mull this over. Mokuba has told me the story of their parents' deaths and subsequent adoption by the tyrannical Gozaburo in the past. I vividly remember the night he told me everything because the morning after, I had my first hangover. Ugh, I can practically feel my eyeballs throbbing at the memory. It was on the anniversary of Gozaburo's death, about two years ago. Mokuba had decided we should celebrate for some reason, so we stole some of the whiskey Kaiba kids himself nobody knows is in his bottom desk door and got roaring drunk.

We sat in the living room in front of the fire, with only its light warming the room. It was beautiful and warm and cosy and I had _initially_ thought romantic! For a little while in the early part of the evening, I really thought Mokuba was finally going to make his move.

I had been invited to sleep over. Come on! He explained it was because we'd be drinking, but what other conclusion do you draw? We had been spending a lot of time together. It was just to two of us, drinking and eating take-out. Mokuba was wearing his long, dark hair in a ponytail like Otogi. I couldn't help but wonder if my recent brief fling with Otogi had anything to do with it.

Outside was freezing and pouring with rain and like the contrast between inside and out, Mokuba's spirits were all over the place. One moment he was giggling and practically giddy, gurgling happily about how perfect his life was, and then in the next breath he was sobbing about could-have-beens. From the moment he slurred the words "what if, I mean, what if we weren't _meant _to be… I mean what if we weren't, I mean, _supposed_ to, you know, be Kaibas?" I had been bracing myself throughout the course of the evening for the inevitable biological parents conversation, pre-preparing the suitable responses in my mind.

Of course, being hammered, all I could manage at the time was: "Dude… that sucks hairy Kuriboh _balls._"

Anyway. He always told me that their parents died in a car crash when he was three, and that he can't remember either of them. He had no idea what his original surname was, and it's probably a good thing, as his brother defined himself by his last name now.  
>But they weren't killed in a car crash after all. I look at Kaiba, frowning, thinking it must have been something horrific for him to lie to Mokuba for so long. Maybe that's why he's so sad and bitter! Maybe he was scarred long before Gozaburo! I gasp as a new thought strikes me. What if he was there? What if he saw it all happen?<p>

"Were they murdered?" I blurt out tactlessly.

"No."

"Suicidal?"

"My father was. You see, my mother died during complications giving birth to Mokuba."

Oh. Well that's anticlimactic. Oh, what is wrong with me? These are the poor guy's parents! I nod in understanding, realising why he didn't want to tell him that. Mokuba has a tendency to take responsibility for things that aren't his fault ("Maybe if I had stayed at Honda's house a little longer, he wouldn't have let the dog out when he did, that car wouldn't have come by and killed his pet!"). If Kaiba had told him the truth, Mokuba would invariably have blamed himself for the death of his mother. How do you cope with something like that?

"You did the right thing," I tell him, softly patting his arm.

He doesn't answer.

The Kaiba brothers didn't go into the orphanage until Mokuba was three, which meant their father must have lived for three more years after their mother died before ultimately killing himself.

"Do you remember her?" I ask gently.

"No. At least… not really. Sometimes I think I do. I think I remember her laugh… her hair… it was like Mokuba's, that's why I don't try and make him cut it anymore. But I'm never sure if the woman in my head is what I remember or what I fabricated. It was a comforting thought though, while I was growing up." He clears his throat awkwardly and turns his head away from me.

I nod again and stay silent. It's really not my place to comment on this sort of story. But I'm touched at how candid he's being to tell me all this. In the pit of my stomach, I know he just needs to get it out, to tell someone. The reality is beginning to hit again.

"What about him?" I prompt after a little while. Kaiba shrugs.

"He lasted a couple more years. I guess he couldn't handle the grief… or being a father. All I remember is that he drank. _A lot._ And all they found was his wallet." He doesn't volunteer any more information about his father and I really don't want to press. Damn. Poor Mokuba _would_ blame himself for both his parents' deaths. If he hadn't been born, Kaiba wouldn't be… well…He wouldn't be Kaiba. He wouldn't be here right now. I would have died on the plane… or maybe I never would have got on it in the first place.

"Wait… a couple… I thought there was a three year gap? Who did you stay with? Mokuba told me that you had no more surviving relatives…" I know from the set of his shoulders before the words are out that this isn't true.

"They didn't want us. They blamed him." He sighs heavily. "Mokuba has asked me before for our surname so he can trace our roots, and see where we come from. I can't allow this. He'll only get his heart broken and I never want that to happen to him. But somewhere deep inside me I know that I'm doing him out of knowing a key part of who he is. If I die out here…"

"Some things you're just better off not knowing."

"People like us, Rebecca, have highly inquisitive minds. You know that. You never shut up with the asking questions."

Again, I'm offended. I thought I was being quite sensitive.

"Mokuba has all the answers you can give, as far as he's concerned. You know he'll never truly question you." I see him nod out of the corner of my eye. "You were his father growing up! He knows who he is. He doesn't need people who don't love him in his life and he doesn't need that sort of pain. He has Yuugi and all of his friends, and Isono. They'll all be there for him after…"

This time I see Kaiba's face contorts in pain. He sighs and covers his eyes with his hand. His mouth twists into a grimace. Instinctively, I reach out and grab his other hand.

To my surprise, this time he doesn't pull away.

"I don't know what else to do," he says so softly, it's almost a whisper.

"Neither do I," I whisper back. My voice catches in my throat and breaks on the way out. Everything we're leaving behind has caught up with us. How can this happen?

"Rebecca."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

The sincerity in his voice touches me. We don't need to say anymore. Still holding Kaiba's hand, I close my eyes and try to ignore how cold it's getting. Eventually, the gentle drifting of the boat makes me drowsy and I fall into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>I'm underwater… wha? Wait, <em>WHAT? <em>Oh my god. I can't breathe! I can't see! I can't hear! I can't _breathe!_

Water is up my nose, in my mouth and filling my lungs. I could choke but there's too much water! Oh my god, why am I underwater?

Are my eyes open? It's so dark. All I can see is darkness everywhere. I'm so tired! My whole body aches. I can't move at all… but if I don't move, I'll die. Get it together.

Focus, Rebecca. KICK.

I force myself to swim upwards, though the water feels like treacle. It's taking me a lifetime and I think my heart is going to burst.

Breaking through, I realize it's so dark because it's night time and there are no stars and no moon. Just black. Where's the boat? Why aren't I on it? Where's Kaiba? Why isn't he here?

"KAIBA!" I scream at the top of my voice. "KAIBA, WHERE ARE YOU?" It's a desperate wail. Oh my god. Panic is seriously rushing over me now. Where did he go? Why were we knocked off the boat? What if he's already dead? Oh my god. I'm all alone and Kaiba is dead. I fell asleep. This is all my fault, I let this happen!

I'm frantically treading water but any minute now I think I'll pass out and sink under again. My energy levels are at an all-time low.

"KAIBA!"

"I'm right here."

What? Where? He's not there. I can't keep my eyes open. Everything feels too heavy… I can't… I'm sinking…

Strong arms… squeezing me… cold….

"REBECCA!"

"OW!" a short, sharp slap across the face pulls me back to life. I jolt awake and see Kaiba straddling me, hand poised to give me another backhand. "Was that really necessary?"

"You were kicking and screaming in your sleep. Rebecca, look," he's pointing behind me. I don't look. I close my eyes again. The dream felt so real! I feel like I've really been struggling for my life! My voice is hoarse, my face is flushed and my heart is racing… and…

"Why am I wet?"

"You flailed around in your sleep and almost capsized us. The water washed over-" he cuts himself off with an irritable sigh and violently jabs his finger into the air behind me. "Not important. Will you just LOOK?"

He gets off me and starts rowing as quickly as he can with the paddle. I slowly turn around to see what it was he was looking at.

"Is it a boat?"

"No, it is not a GOD DAMN BOAT."

Oh look, an island.

AN ISLAND!

"Oh my god! Land! We're gonna live!" I shriek joyfully. Squinting my eyes I _think_ I see smoke… and houses… "Kaiba… my glasses are gone, does that look… inhabited to you?"

"Certainly does," there's a faint smile in his voice. The relief is overwhelming. I want to laugh, I want to cry, I want to scream! "It kind of looks like Ancient Egypt though."

"Huh."

"Maybe we're hallucinating."

"Don't say that! Shut up and row! Full speed ahead, captain! Rooooow!"

"Captain. Tuh. The Captain shouldn't have to row his own boat."

I laugh. "Don't care! You're fast than I am…And that slap really hurt, asshole."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**Yay! Land! I think we need a change of scenery, don't you? Hello? Readers? *echo* Aww. Anyway, about the Kaiba parents' thing. I know playing with the canon is a dangerous game but I noticed some differences between the rumoured story and the dub story, so I played with it a little bit and tied bits up into a new story. Back to Kaiba as narrator in the next chapter. Until then! **


	5. Land of What Might Have Been

**Author's Note**

**Hey! Wow, so have I really not updated this thing since February. I guess I got distracted with the job hunt and commissions. And when I don't get any reviews, I don't get motivated XD But yeah, I'm back! So hi. Thanks to everyone who's commented so far! You're all the best.**

**So right back in with a Seto chapter! He's such a sarcastic narrator. I'm easing back in here XD Got the next two chapters planned at least so expect semi-regular updates for a while before my attention wanders again. Thanks for reading!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: <span>Land of What Might Have Been<span>  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Just when I think my arms are about to burst, we finally hit land. Rebecca and I had both paddled as though our lives depended on it… chiefly because we knew they damn well did. And we made it. We made it to land.<p>

We seize upon it like the grateful survivors we are and collapse onto the dirty floor, panting and exhausted but at the same time elated. I'm on my hands and knees, gathering my breath and strength. Rebecca is laying on her back beside me, breathing heavily, staring up at the sky. I catch her eye and she beams at me. Despite myself, I can't help smiling back.

We did it.

The relief is dizzying… for a foolish moment, I actually thought… not important. Lack of nutrients, severe stress and extended exposure to annoying brats have taken their toll on me and compromised my brainpower.

I glance over at the aforementioned brat. She's bent over now, wringing her hair and clothes. Hm.

Anyway. The point is, we're back on dry land. Back with civilisation… I think…

Jeez… looking around here now, I begin to process the surroundings. It looks like we've leapt back in time. Come to think of it, it looks like Egypt. Ancient Egypt. We're on a mud-sand ground and it looks like dusk. The sky is dazzling purple with a warm orange glow on the horizon. The air is warm and dry. Just up ahead I see ancient looking stone houses with stalls outside… but not people.

"Oh, how cute!" shrieks Rebecca, looking in the same direction. "A little market! We're in a little village… this environment… I wonder where we could be? Possibly Africa…" She pauses and blinks. "Or… India?"

I shake my head. Woah… dizzy.

"Not possible. We were only in the water a day. We must be in Korea. Or Taiwan. Somewhere off the coast of Japan." She nods.

"True. It just doesn't look much like East Asia… We could be in Papua New Guinea…" she suggests. "I guess we'll know when we meet a local. This place is dead… hey, are you ok?"

"Huh?" I stare blearily at her, dimly aware that my skills of elelation… articution… no… I can't quite think straight…

Before I have chance to draw breath, the cough is consuming me. I'm bent double, coughing and heaving like I'm at death's door. Blood is pouring out of my mouth… Oh god… my lungs feel like they're on _fire. _What's happening?

"Hey… ok, get it out. There you go…" Rebecca is rubbing my back. Why? What good is that really going to do? Is she practising goddamn Bowen? I don't have the energy to scold her… Oh lord, so tired… Where did this come from? When I'm sure the vomiting has stopped, I slide down onto the floor and lean against a wall. Breathe in… breathe out… my head is spinning. I need to steady myself, get enough oxygen up there.

"Water…" I barely croak. My voice is so harsh and scratched, it sounds like I've been taken down an octave. "I need some water. Not _that!" _I bark (croakily) as her eyes dart sideways towards the ocean. And promptly cough up more blood. Rebecca stares at it with a mixture of revulsion and fear on her face. To her credit, she's not freaking out. She gulps and speaks in a calm and authoritative manner.

"You're severely dehydrated."

Gee. No shit, Sherlock. Now where's my fucking water? I don't have the energy to say the words to her and rolling my eyes just makes me dizzy so I settle for leaning as far back against the wall as possible and closing my eyes in an I'm-blocking-you-out-you're-just-too-stupid sort of way. Rebecca kneels in front of me and clutches my arms, as though to convince herself she's steadying me. Again, I couldn't tell her to get lost.

"Ok, stay here," she instructs. Well, shoot. I was planning to go join a hoe-down. "I'll try to find some help… don't die or get mugged or something while I'm gone, ok?"

"That is a terrific idea, I might just try that." It's barely more than a whisper. I don't think she heard me. Why bother?

She runs off. I lay here, gritting my teeth and try to tell myself to get a grip.

Get a grip, Seto.

Get a fucking grip.

Where has my energy gone? My fighting spirit? It's just a little dehydration, that's all it is? Possibly a minor chest infection. Please. I beat off worse than this at work every other Thursday? Every time Yuugi enters a tournament. Especially when it's one of mine. What's causing me to react so badly now? This isn't like me at all.

Oh joy, self evaluation. Well gosh, my daddy never loved me and deep down inside I never wanted to carry on. Please.

I guess I could attribute it to stress. I know stress. I thrive on stress. But this is different… I don't have Mokuba. Or rather… he doesn't have me. I'm not dead but for a while there I thought I was going to be. I thought I'd break my promise… that on its own damn near kills me.

Ugh, that's stupid and overly sentimental. I'm not dead, I'm alive. I'm laying here like a loser against a wall and not using this to my advantage, _why_? I gotta get home and see him. Rebecca and I need to get out of this dump. Somewhere there has to be a phone, or an airport or at least a damn boat or something.

We survived a plane crash and made it back to land with our – with MY – bare hands. We're geniuses. We run the greatest company there is. We can do this too.

Where is she with my water?

I open my eyes and gingerly turn my head left and right, relieved to find that I'm not so dizzy anymore. Very slowly, I use the wall to haul myself to my feet… woah… ok, steady. Steady. I'm fine. With a stretch and a sigh, I shake it off and I'm good to go, near enough.

Blood and vomit on my shirt. Wonderful.

Oh well, I'm still sexy.

Now here's a decision. To go and look for Rebecca and risk us getting permanently separated or to stay here and wait for her to find me and guarantee we stick together?

I set off down the dusty path just in time to see her rounding the corner. So close.

"There's what looks like a city down there… a really really old city. But it would take me an hour to get there and back so I came to find you again. I'm stronger than I look though so I could carry you there if you needed," she announced, brightly.

"That won't be necessary. What, no Evian?" I ask, eyeing her hands with an eyebrow raised.

"Nah, sorry. But I did steal you this banana."

"Excellent. Just like in the movies."

She turns on her heel and starts heading back the way she came from. I dutifully walk alongside her. It's not long before I see what she means. We appear to be on high land, as down a hill immediately in front of us there's a stone city that must be easily fifty feet below sea level… these guys are practically in a giant bowl.

The city is in near total darkness. It's sizeable. There's an obvious centre with a giant statue of… something or other… and some sort of temple. Residential areas, a sports stadium? Coliseum? None of it is lit. Only a few small streets have dim lights visible.

"I haven't seen any sign of any locals… unusual as it can't be too late at night. My guess is anywhere between seven and ten in the evening." I'm feeling better as we stroll briskly towards the city. Rebecca is narrating her findings while I peel my banana. "Unusually, I can't find any sign of linguistics either. At least, nothing that jumps out. It's weird, the houses and shops are all unmarked. Some of them have little pictures…"

I swallow my mouthful and offer her a bite. "Possible hieroglyphics? Looks like the kind of place…"

She shakes her head at my banana (well that's never happened before) and dismisses me with her hand. "No. More like doodles. I've never seen anything like it. I wonder if we've landed in some sort of… tribes town." She gasped, her eyes sparkling with delight as a rare epiphany hits her. "Perhaps they have a whole undiscovered language! We could be on an unknown island previously hidden from Western eyes! A whole new culture to study! Not to mention possible desert vegetation. Do you know what this means? I smell Nobel Prize!" she's practically squealing and clapping her hands. This is like a normal girl at a sample sale. Actually, this is like Rebecca at a sample sale. She just also happens to be a nerd.

"I smell burning human flesh."

"_What?!_"

"Supposing your theory is correct," I muse, "do you really think a society that's hidden from pale faces for thousands of years-"

"Racist much?" She interjected, outraged. I'm unmoved. "Just because they're not as obviously forward as us, you assume they're black?"

"You assumed this was Africa. I figured it was probably Asia. Either way, it's likely the natives her have epicanthic folds," I gesture pointedly to my own Japanese eyes.

Rebecca rolled her Western ones. "'I'm black so I can say the n-word,' right?"

"My point. Whatever culture this is, they're not Western. You will be unfamiliar for sure, and I probably will be as well. Xenophobia… it stems from ignorance. There's a chance that we'll be immediately seen as a threat, as intruders. They might not be so welcoming. Furthermore, if they do speak a previously unknown language, how can you possibly hope to effectively communicate? You can't rely on gestures, it could be offensive for all you know."

Rebecca heaved a heavy sigh, obviously dejected and I feel a little bad for trampling on her excitement. But we need to be practical. We need shelter, food, water… and if she's right, we don't have a hope in hell of getting any of those things. I glance down at her, walking beside me. She's dry now; we both are.

She's not looking disappointed or sad, she's just staring straight ahead with a calm expression on her face. Something isn't right…

She's quiet for a couple of minutes before she speaks again.

"I guess we'll find out when we reach the city, won't we."

"Yeah, I guess. Can you see alright?"

"Yeah, it's not that dark."

"I mean without your glasses."

"Oh." She stupidly felt her face as though to confirm they weren't there. "Yeah, I only really need them for reading."

"Computer work, et cetera?"

"Yeah."

"Ah."

We walk in silence for a while.

Awkward.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

**So a brief chapter, not a whole lot happened. It's kind of filler, I know. But hey, it's YGO. I can get away with it here, right? XD**


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